


One Small Detail

by cccelestite



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Eventual Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hair Braiding, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nipple Piercings, Rating May Change, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-12 00:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10477656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cccelestite/pseuds/cccelestite
Summary: In which Lance has a nipple piercing and after Keith finds out this small detail, he can't help but think about it all the time.(more drabbles to come, tagged for background Shallura)





	1. Once Upon A Piercing

**Author's Note:**

> Lance recalls getting his nipple pierced when he was still at the Garrison, part of his youthful shenanigans away from home. Set a few weeks before the series starts.
> 
> Trigger warning for some description of needles and getting pierced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring an androgynous piercer and Lance with his hooligan friends. Guest appearance by Jack Daniels, thanks for the liquid courage.

Lance recalls a cold room with a bright fluorescent light above him and a small window wedged between cabinets, cracked just enough to let in the occasional breeze. He's sitting shirtless on an exam table like they have in the nurse's office at the Garrison and taking in everything about the room. White walls, glossy photos tacked to the wall of pierced body parts. To his left, there's a wall of plastic craft shelving stacked on top of each other. Small drawers are filled with different size jewelry and labeled according to size, type, and color. Goosebumps rise along his bare arms and chest with each gust of cool air that passes over him. His head swims pleasantly, the warmth of Jack Daniels and cola sitting in his belly and a clean taste of mouthwash.

He swings his legs gently as the piercer inspects his left nipple, checking the size against various bar lengths. Lance chose to focus their heavily pierced ears, each available spaced adorned with a different stud, ring, and bar. The piercer was tall and beautiful with silver hair spilling over one side of their face and a slender waist. Lance remembered blushing every time their eyes met. Their fingers brush against his skin as they use a ball point pen to mark where areola becomes nipple. They make little dashes to indicate where the barbels should be when the piercing is made.

They patted Lance's shoulder gently. "Good for you! Your nipples are just big enough for the jewelry you picked."

Someone snickers in the room. Lance catches the eye of one of his friends lined up on the far wall and returns a grin. Inwardly, he cringes. Dave, Jeremy, and Emilio stand shoulder to shoulder, each wearing a Cheshire grin and flushed cheeks.

"Alright, check that out." The piercer holds up a mirror to his nipple for Lance to inspect, "How does that look to you? Good?"

Lance pulls the skin around his nipple taut with his fingers and checks over the markings, a small smile spreading across his face. He'd been wanting this for months and now it was finally happening, he was ecstatic -- not that he wanted his friends to know that. The only one he'd talked about it with was Hunk before this. Others would make fun of him if they knew it wasn't a spur of the moment thing but Hunk? He'd smiled ear to ear and said it'd suit him perfectly. That bit of acceptance was enough for Lance to declare Hunk his best friend for life. 

He schools his face into a more casual grin, not wanting to let on his giddiness. "Yeah, that looks great."

The piercer smiles back and somehow, Lance feels a wave of understanding being passed between them. They place a hand on his shoulder, gently guiding Lance to lie back on the exam table. For a moment, Lance forgets about his dumb friends and smiles back.

"Okay, now sit back and relax." they say, turning away to assess their tools.

"Hey Lance, you scared?" Dave snickers.

"Never!" Lance says, making a show of getting comfy on the exam table.

His focuses on his back sticking to the vinyl upholstery and wishes Hunk was here to hold his hand or something. He can imagine the big guy standing on his right, squeezing Lance's hand tight and peeking through thick fingers to make sure Lance is okay. Lance knows that Hunk would've been here if he could've. He was working through the weekend to finish an engineering project by Monday and Lance had insisted he'd be fine without him.

So Lance was stuck in a room with three jackasses and a few more out in the shop no doubt fucking around and being a general nuisance. What can you do?

Lance remembers focusing on the posters tacked to the walls, trying to ignore the piercer sterilizing a long needle in his periphery. He remembers gasping when the clamp catches his nipple in its mouth, the cool metal stunning him, and he doesn't dare to glance down. Even the guys shut up.

"Remember to breathe," the piercer says, leaning over his chest. Lance looks at anything but his nipple. Then the needle goes through the loops of the clamp into his nipple and everything goes blank, his senses narrowing down to the rays of pain radiating from his nipple. It's like lightning has struck his left side. Lance forgets to breathe, can only curl his fingers into fists and struggle to exhale. 

"Lance, breathe." commands the piercer, pressing firmly on his diaphragm.

Lance obeys, inhaling in ten short spurts through his nose and forcing one large, shaky breath out. He repeats the process as the needle is removed and the jewelry set into place quickly. For a moment, Lance lies there as the piercer blots at his nipple with a saline wipe. A fresh one is then placed over his nipple and he shudders at the cool relief that washes over him.

"I like to throw one of those saline pads on after. Feels good, right?" The piercer smiles widely and massages his shoulder, "You did great, kid!"

"I... I did?" Lance asks, shakily. The piercer nods and winks, giving Lance a boost of confidence that carries him through the pain.

After Lance's breathing is regular, he sits up and takes a look in the mirror. Two blue gems glitter on either end of a thin silver bar, his hard nipple puckered up between them. Lance admires himself while the piercer gives him a run-down of the cleaning routine, what to avoid, and what not to do. After, he retrieves his shirt and slips it over his head gingerly.

Lance pays in the front of the shop, eyeing his friends in case they try to slap his chest at any moment. Emilio's brother drives them back to the Garrison where they sneak back into the dorms clumsily and wander to their separate rooms, the plastic bottles of Jack Daniels littering the back seat.

When he gets back to the room he shares with Hunk, Lance immediately flips his shirt up to show off his new piercing.

"Check me out!" he declares.

Hunk blanches at the sight of it. "Oh my god, dude, you really did it!" he leans in to inspect it, then shakes his head, "I can't believe you did it. Did it hurt?"

"Horribly." Lance shakes his head, arms up in defeat, "But what can I say? Beauty is pain."

That night, Lance spends several minutes on his bed, a mirror held up to his chest for him to admire the gems. It was one step toward loving his body and he felt a sense of accomplishment having gone through with it. He was already planning when his next visit to the shop would be for the other one. Little did he know that he'd never get the chance to go back because a few weeks later, he'd be in space admiring this same piercing before a food goo breakfast and morning training as a paladin of Voltron.


	2. Laundry Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's laundry day in the castle and for Lance, that means an excuse to wander around the castle in swim trunks for awhile. It's also a day of revelation for Keith, the most oblivious paladin in the group.

Laundry day in the castle meant the paladins were forced to walk around in either their pj's or their space suits for at least one varga. Some, like Hunk, chose to stay in his pajamas all day, shuffling from one room to another in his lion slippers and a flowing golden robe. Others, like Keith and Shiro, chose to remain suited up in full armor (which in Lance's opinion, was no fun at all and out of everyone, Shiro should have been the first to go shirtless and treat them all to those guns all) 

Laundry day wasn't a problem for the Alteans, as Allura had a dozen other dresses to choose from and Coran's closet was full of exact copies of the same outfit. As a "fun" game, Coran liked to ambush a paladin and get them to guess what the slight difference was in this outfit as compared to the original. 

This bit had Lance questioning whether the word "fun" had a different meaning on Altea or if Coran really was the Embarrassing Uncle, which Lance had decided he was in their little space-family.

Pidge won the Cutest Lil Sis (Gremlin) Award™ in a pale green romper with pockets that sagged when she loaded it up with wires and circuit boards to bring to her hangar. The reward was a hug, gifted to her from Lance and countered with a swift kick to the shin. As for Lance, he decided he would school these losers in how to maximize their comfort factor. Years in a big family meant he had weathered many a summer day at the laundromat by his mama's side. What better Laundry Day Outfit than a pair of swim trunks?

If he were home, he would get a swift slap to the head from his mama and told to get a damn shirt on. But here in space, there were no wife-beaters or sandals to change into so Lance was free to wander through the castle showing off his physique... and that he did. All over the ship, in fact. Lance found the best places to display himself, such as sprawling out on the dining room table until he was forcibly removed by Hunk --

("Dude, that's where we eat. Not cool."

"And you can. I'm a feast for the eyes!" Lance gestured down his body, "So feast!")

\-- then proceeded to lay himself out in the control room, propping a foot up on the main controls so Allura could take in his feet and realize how well he groomed himself --

("Lance, remove your feet! You could very well worm-hole us into Galra territory if you're not careful!"

"Uh, careful is my middle name."

Turns out, Alteans didn't have to know about the concept of a "middle name" to now that "Careful" was not Lance's)

And finally, Lance concluded his varga stretched out like a cat in the sun in the hanger with Blue. He pretended to tan while lying on top of Blue's head, a purr of amusement tickling his brain. To complete the scene, Lance had spread a towel out beneath him and a bottle of what may have been Altean skin lotion -- he wasn't sure but he hoped so -- in his hand. Lance squeezed out a generous amount and began to slather it on himself like tan lotion, knowing full well that the lights in the hangar were doing nothing for his complexion. 

He looked around, disappointed that no one was around to appreciate the work he put into the miming. Lance laid bad on the towel and shielded his eyes from the light overhead, thinking for awhile that someone would let him know when the laundry was done.

Only after about a dobosh (or ten), Lance realized the others might be too busy to keep an eye on the laundry. Hunk had been experimenting with combinations of different-colored food goo in the kitchen earlier. Pidge was no doubt working on some cool smart kid project to keep herself busy. When he'd visited the control room, Allura was charting the course of the castle and discussing with Coran which planets were most likely to be allies. 

He didn't see Keith or Shiro but they were probably on the training deck bonding through blood and sweat or maybe talking about how much better a pilot Keith was than Lance (Lance didn't know what those two were up to but he tended to fill in the blanks with negatives thanks to his self-esteem)

"Well, somebody needs to check the laundry." he said to Blue, throwing the towel over his shoulders and tucking the lotion under his arm. Lance stopped by his room to drop off the lotion when a glint in the mirror caught his eye. He stopped to inspect his reflection, his eyes dropping to the blue gems in his nipple piercing.

It was strange how it was both familiar and shocking to see it twinkling in the light. He'd had it for months already (or what could be months, considering they were in space and time meant little) but Lance still felt the cool breeze from the window in the back room of the shop, like it had only been weeks ago that he and his friends snuck out of the dorm for a road trip out of the desert. At the same time, it felt like it had always been a part of him like a birth mark or a childhood scar. 

It suited him better now. The few battle scars he had leant him a wilder look than back then. At the Garrison, he'd still had baby fat on his belly and twigs for arms but now he felt like the "after" picture. His arms and torso were gaining some hard-earned definition from the rigorous training they underwent daily, though he still appeared tall and lean like a brush stroke. There was the beginnings of killer abs and with his swim trunks slung low on his hips, Lance could trace the outline of a V disappearing into the waistband -- something he had always wanted in high school.

If only he could grow some adequate facial hair.

He posed in front of the mirror for awhile, admiring himself like the space-Adonis he was, before making his way out of his bedroom to the laundry chute. As expected, the laundry had been done for maybe twenty doboshes and no one had bothered to fetch their loads yet. 

Lance unloaded his first, then decided to grab Hunk's clothes and deliver the basket to his room since it was on the way. That's what a friend would do and Lance, he was the best friend. The rest could come get their clothes themselves.

Lance whistled a tune on his way to Hunk's room, still buoyed by remembering how good the nipple piercing looked on him. It was an easy thing to forget when you're constantly defending the universe and stuff. 

He sauntered and danced his way down the hall until he reached Hunk's room. The door slides open and a gust of air smelling just like Hunk hit him like a calming wind. Lance couldn't help but smile and ended up folding Hunk's clothes for him, leaving them in a neat stack on the bed. The task reminded him of his mama again, sending a sharp pang of homesickness to his chest. For a moment, Lance lingers to take in the comforting smell of his best friend and resolves to give the big guy a huge hug when they run into each other next.

Keeping up his good mood, Lance gets right back to dancing in the hall when he spots something black mixed in with his clothes. Lance always double-checked his laundry, afraid that something might shrink or in case the castle's laundry system had finally blown a hole through his jacket. Instead, Lance digs out a slim black V-neck and holds it up to his body. It looks like it would ride up a little but on a shorter torso, it would fit just fine.

"Where have I seen this before? Oh yeah, freakin' mullet." Lance rolls his eyes, "Must've gotten his clothes mixed in with mine. I'll bet he's looking for this -- I mean, it's his only shirt."

Begrudgingly, Lance forgoes his own room in favor of getting this annoying task over with. Keith's room is a few halls over, in a wing of the castle closest to Red's hanger. It was quieter than the wing Lance and Hunk roomed in, which was adjacent to the kitchen and common room. Lance stands outside, shifting from food to foot while he tries to come up with something clever to say for several doboshes. 

Footsteps inside the room interrupt the creative process as they approach the door quickly. Fight or flight instinct tells Lance he should ditch the shirt and run but there was no way he'd run away from Keith of all people. For lack of a better plan, Lance braces himself.

The door slides open and Keith stops in the doorway, an eyebrow quirked at Lance. He's wearing a slight frown, more confused than anything. Hell, Lance would be too if he found Keith lurking outside his room.

"Lance?" he says, his tone struggling somewhere between a greeting and a question.

Lance stifles a noise like a squawk and leans against the doorframe, hell-bent on appearing cool and casual. 

"Oh hey, fancy meeting you here."

"Outside my own room?" Keith asks after a pause, his tone growing more apprehensive by the minute. He pushes a stray lock of hair out of his face, his bangs still stuck to his forehead with sweat.

Lance notices the smallest ponytail at his neck and decides to focus on making fun of that to make it less cute than it totally is.

"Nice ponytail. The mullet must feel disgusting when you add sweat." Lance mimics gagging but when Keith isn't amused, he gives up the antics. He takes in the red bath towel slung over Keith's shoulder. "Anyway, something of yours got mixed in with my laundry so I thought I'd bring it to you. Looks like you're about to shower so you'll probably be wanting this instead of a sweaty space suit."

Lance holds Keith's shirt toward him, balancing the laundry basket on his hip. Keith's eyes drop to the balled up fabric in his hand and reach for it but something stops him. There appears to be something glinting in the corner of his eye. 

He shifts his gaze over and finds himself staring at Lance's right nipple, noticing that there appears to be jewelry stuck through it. Violet eyes widen as he confirms that there is indeed a piercing nipple staring back at him, the blue gems winking. A thousand thoughts run through his head at that moment, mostly questions like:

Has that always been there? Keith would have noticed it by now if he'd had it to begin with. They went swimming together for quiznak's sake!

Then again... If he didn't have it before they went into space, then when would he have found the time to get it done? And where?

Keith can feel his brows drawing together as he searches his memory for even a glimpse of Lance's pierced nipple before this moment, all the while staring at it so intensely that he wouldn't be surprised if the skin started sizzling. They had been living together in close quarters on a space-castle hurtling through space. Was he really that oblivious to the fact that his own teammate had a piercing? Especially one so... bold? Daring? Keith can't conjure the word for this right now.

It isn't until Lance clears his throat that Keith realizes he's been staring at it this whole time. God, how long had Lance been standing there with his shirt?

Keith manages to tear his eyes away from the nipple to grab his shirt. He looks up at Lance, who has already followed Keith's gaze to the jewelry and back to Keith. Lance grins at him expectantly and from that look alone, Keith gathers he wants to be asked about it. He sucks in a calming breath of air before venturing forward in this already awkward conversation.

"So..." he starts, eyes flicking down to the nipple briefly, "When did that happen?" 

Keith is embarrassed to hear his voice coming out a few octaves higher. If he notices the change in Keith's voice, Lance doesn't show it. 

"Oh, this old thing?" Lance reaches up to touch his nipple, his finger making contact as gently as possible. Keith can't help but follow the movement with his eyes, shirt clutched in his hands which have now balled into fists.

"Feels like forever ago now," Lance continues, "I've had this since way before all this, back when I was at the Garrison."

Keith laughs, recalling the strict rules of the Garrison dorms. "Wow, how'd you manage that? If I remember right, there was a pretty strict curfew and dress code."

"Well," Lance shrugged, shooting Keith a devilish grin that totally didn't make his heart skip a beat, "We had our ways. My buddies and I were able to pull off a one-day road trip with someone's brother or cousin, I can't remember, and drove an hour and a half to the nearest shop. A little help from my friend Jack Daniels and next thing you know, I had my nipple pierced!"

For a moment, Keith imagines Lance squeezed between two goons in the backseat of an old beater car with the radio blasting and a bottle of warm Jack Daniels passing between them. He imagines his face flushed from the alcohol, hair a little mussed and sweat trickling down his neck, laughing up a storm about nothing in particular.

"Cool."

That's all Keith can manage to say and it's probably the lamest response. Lance's face falls for a tick before he collects himself. He pushes off from the door frame, shifting his laundry basket to the other hand. "Well, I gotta get going. Much as I'd love to lounge around in my trunks all day, I'd like to get a shower myself and change."

"Sure, sure. Thanks for the shirt -- my shirt, I mean. Thanks for bringing my shirt to me."

Lance waves him goodbye over his shoulder and Keith is just about ready to sink into the floor from embarrassment. His face is burning as red as his armor. In fact, when the door closes, it takes all his strength to remain standing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, second chapter already? I'm on a roll. Up next: 600+ words of Keith thinking about Lance's nipple and all the exciting feelings it brings up.


	3. Where is my mind?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is struggling, guys, but not because of his sexuality.

A few days later, Keith lies in his bed longer than usual. The revelation that Lance had a nipple piercing was nothing short of earth-shattering and Keith was still processing the information.

Lance's nipple dominates his morning's contemplation, leaving Keith stuck on an image of the bright blue gems against a dark nipple. The image unfolds before him until he can practically see Lance leaning against the doorframe in nothing but swim shorts. His nipple had been hard, though Keith guessed it was permanently like that what with a metal bar running through the middle. The areola was a darker brown and pebbled from the cool air in the castle whereas the skin around it was smooth and tan. Lance was hairless save for a wispy trail of dark hair that started from his navel and disappeared into his shorts.

Keith wonders if he can stand to leave his bed ever again. Every time he saw Lance, he couldn't help but think again of his nipple.

After getting over the initial shock it, Keith suddenly had over a dozen burning questions -- "Did it hurt? What made you decide to take the plunge? Was that your first piercing? Because you don't have your ears pierced..." -- but couldn't bring himself to ask.

Days passed and the questions only increased.

He thinks back to the many scrapes they've gotten into with Galra foot soldiers. Keith imagines Lance catching a boot to his chest and winces, his breath catching. Without thinking, he's brought a hand up to his own nipple as if to protect it from that trauma. He couldn't imagine how painful that might be.

Lance had said he'd gotten it way before they joined Team Voltron. Did it still hurt at all or was it fully healed?

Keith takes a few deep breaths before he decides to blow off some steam on the training deck. He changed into his usual clothes, leaving his jacket on the bed. The walk to the training deck has him passing Lance's room so he decides to jog the long way around instead. It's a good warm-up and leaves him feeling loose enough for a good melee simulation.

He starts the day off with a medium-level simulation, waiting for the training drones to appear. Two broad-shouldered gladiators join a few agile drones that rely on their speed more than power.

There's a space of time when Keith waits for the drones to step into their first stance. He activates his bayard, running a finger down the side of the blade lovingly before closing his eyes and taking a deep, centering breath.

_Patience yields focus. Patience yields focus._

Behind his eyelids, an image flickers forward: blue gems glinting in sunlight, followed by ocean spray misting the air and covering a tan chest in a thousand tiny droplets.

Keith's eyes snap open, surprised at the sudden turn in his thoughts. He almost misses the first drone approaching. It lunges and attempts a jab but Keith steps back and pivots out of range. He slides behind the drone and drives his bayard through the drone's torso, breathing heavily for so many reasons other than the exertion.

His thoughts turn to bright blue eyes shimmering like the ocean's surface with darker hues shifting underneath.

Keith takes down another drone with a roundhouse kick, dropping low to the ground and sweeping the legs out from under another one. With a quick jab each, the smaller drones are immobile on the ground. Images of Lance keeping bubbling up and he can't tell if they're a bad thing because every time he's caught off guard, Keith improvises with something better than what he'd planned.

A wide grin, unwavering even in the face of danger, pushes him to attempt a flip over one gladiator that ends in his boots connecting with another drone's head.

A cocky grin for sharpshooting, one eye screwed shut while the other looks down a scope, gives him the momentum to slide under the legs of a drone and slice the knees. Keith finishes that one off with a knife to the chest.

It's thrilling. Each image brings a rush of adrenaline, an excitement he's not familiar with, and Keith finds himself smiling, too.

But then he gets hit with a coy smile on Lance's lips, Lance leaning back on his elbows in the sand with his swim trunks riding low on his hips and that damn trail of hair...

Keith is a few seconds too late to block the blow that catches his side, throwing off his balance. He hits the ground hard, forced to break the fall with his shoulder.

Even through the pain, he manages to think about taut, sun-kissed skin and lean muscles.

Keith stands up, doubled over and panting. The last drone approaches with a quick jab, easily avoided with two steps back to get out of range. He grabs its wrist, twisting his body until his back is aligned with its chest, and uses all his weight to throw the drone several feet away. Before it can fully stand up again, Keith is running at full speed with bayard brandished in front of him and cuts through the drone's midsection, completing the simulation.

He rolls his shoulder, wincing at the pain that shoots up his arm when he does. Keith decides to discontinue the simulation in favor of a shower and deactivates his bayard. The fog that had settled on his mind was thick enough for him to pass Shiro on the way out without acknowledging him, leaving the older paladin watching his back with a mix of concern and confusion.

***

A hot shower does wonders for the body and mind. The water pressure was particularly strong today, pounding out the knots in Keith's shoulders until he was red all the way across. He examines the large bruise blossoming on his shoulder and presses two fingertips against the burst vessels, gauging the severity. It's a rainbow of varying shades of purple and radiates a dull pain over that region of his body. It's nothing he'd bother using a healing pod for so Keith continues with his shower, taking care to wash his hair fully. He combed his fingers through the thick mane, frowning when he noted how much it's grown.

Keith's hair had always grown faster than he liked and the time they'd spent in space was immeasurably long. The ends were just starting to pass his shoulders now. Keith decided he needed a haircut soon before the mullet grew out of control.

He sighed at the thought. When had he accepted his hair as a mullet? Fucking Lance.

Keith stepped out of the stall, the fog having lifted from his mind. He slips his shirt on, fingers lingering at the hem as his thoughts drift back to the day Lance brought this shirt to him. Holding it out expectantly, not even bothering to cover himself up...

If only their laundry had remained separate, then Keith wouldn't be plagued with thoughts of Lance's... well, everything. If he was being honest, Keith would admit that the nipple wasn't the only thing on his mind lately.

Now that he's showered and feeling fresh, Keith can think more clearly about his situation and recognizes this for what it is:

Hormones. Plain and simple.

It was the most logical explanation for the shift in his feelings for Lance from annoying teammate to hot annoying teammate. The piercing was just the spark and now a wildfire raged in Keith that he couldn't put out.

He accepts that he is now attracted to Lance and there isn't much he can do about it until the fire snuffs itself out.

On Earth, Keith had been indifferent to piercings on guys so he'd never thought about his opinion on pierced nipples. Now he knew better. It was a huge, huge turn-on for him.

While towel drying his hair, Keith decides to review what he knows and think of a strategy to combat this. It had started with a fixation on his nipple that still burned strongly but now Keith's mind had started supplying other images to think about. For example, the twin pair of beauty marks that dotted Lance's neck, just under his right ear. That was something that Keith couldn't get out of his head, along with the way Lance's shoulders shook when he laughed too hard or the casual touches between him and Hunk.

There were several strategies to take care of this little problem but Keith narrowed it down to three possible routes:

> 1) Ignore it. Bury it. Wait for it to be over. Never think about it again.  
>  2) Talk to Lance to reestablish that Lance is not the kind of guy he's attracted to and get back to bickering.  
>  3) Discern if Lance is into guys and go from there.

Route #3 was crossed off almost as soon as it came to him. He'd seen Lance flirt with a dozen female-presenting aliens, despite what alien appendages they may have, but a penis? He couldn't recall any evidence that Lance was even remotely interested in guys. Better not to risk the embarrassment if he was wrong.

Route #1 was his go-to for most problems so that looked very appealing. Pushing down emotions was his strong suit. He mulled over the second route, admitting to himself that it was probably the mature thing to do (he could almost hear Shiro's voice lecturing him: "You can't always run away from your problems -- especially if one of your problems is a person on this ship.")

As satisfying as having that tan skin under his fingers would be, Keith knows that he can't afford to let anything get in the way of the team dynamic and risk being unable to form Voltron. Plus, how many gay men had their hearts broken by straight boys every day? He wouldn't let himself be a statistic.

So, Route #2 it is. Keith pulls his hair back into a ponytail and leaves the bathroom in search of Lance. After a few minutes, they'd be back to bickering frenemies and all would be well with his world.

He decides to ignore the fact he thought of heartbreak as a possibility. This is just a physical attraction, after all. He was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'mon, Keith. There is so much evidence to the contrary...
> 
> Also, Lance's chapters came so easily but this one Keith chapter took especially long for me for whatever reason. Will probably go back to Lance next time but we'll see!


	4. A Braiding Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance showcases a hidden talent of his (one of many) and Keith understands what it's like to be cat.

As it turns out, Lance isn't hard to track down. The first place Keith thinks to look is the common room and that's where he finds Lance sprawled across one couch with Hunk, his head resting on Hunk's thigh. A small server table pulled up to the couch, the tray hovering over Hunk's other thigh and littered with parts. It's dangerously close to the top of Lance's hair, his cowlicks glancing the side with each chuckle.

Keith is relieved to see Lance wearing a shirt, though the white cotton strains to contain his torso. Keith had noticed his Earth clothes fit more snugly than before. The training they underwent daily was starting to have visible results and though Lance was still on the lanky side, he was filling out like the rest of them.

Both of them are too absorbed in their activities to notice Keith watching from the doorway. Lance is flipping through what seems to be an old Altean fashion magazine, only the magazine is entirely digital with holographic pages that disappear when turned. Every other page makes Lance snicker and Keith can't help but notice how he scrunches up his nose when he does, how his shoulders shake and his toes wiggle with glee. It's like his whole body is made of laughter just dying to get out.

Keith hesitates, reluctant to break up this cozy moment between friends to pick a fight with Lance. Plus, it would be rude to cause a row when Hunk is visibly concentrating on a task. He even has his concentration face on, the one with his tongue poking out and brows drawn together.

Instead, Keith approaches them, "Hey, guys."

Hunk grins at him briefly before returning to his table, mumbling a quick "Hey, dude."

Lance looks up at him with brow quirked and sits upright, the magazine sliding into his lap. His gaze drops to Keith's ponytail. "So should I stop calling you 'mullet' and switch to 'ponytail' instead?"

Keith rolls his eyes. How can he be attracted to this idiot?

A devious smile graces his lips and suddenly, Keith regrets this decision very much. Lance stands up to clap his hands on Keith's shoulders, the smile widening at an alarming rate.

"Uh, Lance?" Keith moves to step back but Lance's grip on him tightens, holding him in place with surprising strength.

"Why don't you sit down and let me borrow the mullet for a while?"

Lance phrases it like a question but before it's through, he forces Keith onto the couch. A brief moment passes where Keith fights the urge to throw Lance of his shoulder and run. What holds him in place are the warm hands now resting on his shoulders, grip slackened.

Keith sighs, resigned to his fate. "I guess I have no choice now," he pauses, crossing his legs in front of him, "Can I at least ask what for?"

The magazine is tossed onto his lap, opened to a tutorial for an elaborate braid. Hunk chuckles without looking up.

"This." Lance says matter-of-factly.

Keith frowns down at the picture of an Altean woman with skin several shades darker than Allura and thick, dark hair braided into a dozen different designs. He isn't sure he even has enough hair for what Lance is planning, can only imagine Allura pulling off such a look.

One of the photos shows a hand working through the woman's hair and his stomach sinks, realizing that Lance would be running his fingers _through his hair._

The blissful expression of the Altean as she leans into the touch would look strange on his face, Keith thinks.

He imagines his dark locks twisted around Lance's long, pretty fingers, Lance threading his fingers through Keith's hair until his fingertips meet skin. Then, a sharp tug to force his head back, his scalp singing with the pain. Looking up at Lance tearily.

_Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is bad._

Keith regrets forgoing the first route.

If he had, he wouldn't be sitting on the couch, face flushed a deeper red than his lion as Lance gently works his hair out of the messy ponytail. Keith can feel Lance's fingers brush against his neck, cool and dry, and sends tingles up his spine. He tenses, suppressing a shiver.

"Done!" Hunk yells, making both Lance and Keith jump. They turn around to see him standing triumphantly, the box he was working on held up high over his head.

Lance smiles widely. "Woah, nice one buddy! You've been working on that thing all day!"

"I gotta find Pidge," Hunk says, more to himself than Lance. He glances up at them, taking in the scene: Keith tucked in between Lance's long legs, Lance with his hands in Keith's hair.

"I'm gonna braid his hair." Lance explains, smiling. They share a meaningful look that Keith can't read.

Hunk shrugs. "Okay, well, enjoy your hair stuff guys."

Keith looks down at his lap at the elaborate braids while Hunk leaves the room, hugging the box to his chest.

"Alright, time to get down to business." Lance says, rubbing his hands together. He looks over Keith's shoulder at the magazine to reference the tutorial, "Oh, whoops. Not that one."

Then Lance leans forward to reach into Keith's lap and suddenly, Keith can't remember how to breathe. He can feel Lance's chest rise and fall against his back, reminding him how breathing should be. There's hot breath on his neck and he struggles to keep control of his own body, silently begging himself to not react.

Finally, Lance finds the right page. He taps the page with his finger, bringing Keith's attention to an Altean girl with short, dark hair. One side of her hair is arranged into tight braids while the rest spills over her face down to her shoulder.

"There we go! This one's better for you." Lance declares and scoots back to his original distance.

After a pause, he asks "Well, what do you think?"

Keith snaps out of his thoughts, realizing he's expected to answer. He looks at the picture again and nods to himself.

"That actually looks cool. I like the side braids." Keith gets an idea and decides to throw a sneer over his shoulder. Their faces are too close for comfort but he ignores it, "Are you sure you can do it?"

He uses a challenging tone and waits for Lance to take the bait, which he does in record time.

Lance scoffs, apparently offended. "Uh, excuse you? Are you doubting my braiding abilities?"

"I watched you trip over your own shoelaces the other day. You don't seem to have the fine motor skills for such delicate work." Keith taunts. He feels pretty confident that this will devolve into bickering, just as planned. Instead of answering, Lance takes a fistful of hair and gives it a light tug. Keith yelps without meaning to.

"Hey now," Lance says, his voice low but playful. Keith can't suppress the shiver it gets out of him.

"You're talking to the best big brother in the universe. Three little sisters, buddy. Three." Lance's voice is normal now, "I'll make you eat your words and turn this ugly mullet into a work of fucking art."

Keith manages to choke out his reply. "I'd like to see you try."

As Lance gets to work on his hair, Keith thinks about how grateful he is to be facing away from him. A dark blush colored his cheeks and ears, face hot enough to cook an egg on. He would never have agreed to this if he'd known it would make him melt like this.

Lance is gentle with him, brushing out the tangles forming underneath with his fingers and parting Keith's hair into sections with a comb. Considering Lance as a person, Keith thinks it isn't unusual that he carries a comb with him. He smiles at the idea that Lance fixed his hair immediately after removing his helmet.

He tilts Keith's head to the left gently, brushing the hair back to expose his neck and ear, and Keith feels his breath on him again as he sets to work braiding above his right ear. It's not uncomfortable. Lance's humming is the only sound in the room, punctuated occasionally by a murmured apology whenever he pulls a hair too tight. His long legs form a cocoon that Keith happily falls into, even as he ignores the feelings of security and belonging it brings him.

Keith tells himself it just feels nice to unwind once in awhile, that it's nothing special and cats could just as well leave someone after cuddling for hours. It's just like that for him. He's basically a cat. Keith begins to relax, leaning back into Lance while he works.

After a peaceful eternity passes for Keith, Lance shakes him awake. "Hey dude, I'm done."

Keith blinks a few times, looking up at Lance in disbelief. He's lying in Lance's arms, full weight against Lance's chest. Briefly, he remembers cradling Lance in his arms. It seemed like a long time ago since that happened.

"Did I... fall asleep?"

Lance smiles down at him, like he's on the verge of laughing. It's like looking directly into the sun, blinding and bright.

"Yeah, like right after I started." Lance replies and offers him a palm-sized mirror, "Anyway, take a look."

Keith accepts the mirror and looks at himself, immediately shocked to see how closely Lance had replicated the style. The unbraided side of his hair is mussed from sleep but the right side is perfect. He resists the urge to reach up and run his fingers along the braids, afraid that they'll come undone and he'll ruin Lance's hard work. When he turns his head at a certain angle where the braids weren't visible, it could be an undercut.

He's mesmerized at the change in his reflection, looking almost like a different person. The skin over his right cheekbone was pulled taut by the braids, shoulder sharper look than Keith was used to.

"I take your awed silence to mean you like it?" Lance asks. Keith shifts his gaze away from the mirror to Lance. He's beaming with pride and the grin on his face is just so earnest that Keith finds himself smiling back at him just as earnestly.

Keith turns his head again to look at the side again. He nods. "It's not half-bad. Just wish I still had my ears pierced, this would look pretty cool."

"You had your ears pierced?"

Keith's stomach drops. Why the fuck did he have to mention piercings? Immediately, he looks at Lance and sure enough, his nipple makes itself known through the white front of his shirt. The outline of the gems on either side rise to meet his gaze, as if they know he's looking at them. Slowly, he nods in response to Lance's question. He finds his words since leaving now would seem suspicious.

Lance takes a seat on the couch, propping his elbow on the back and resting his cheek into his palm. He's grinning just as widely. "That's awesome! You would look great with an eyebrow piercing, I think. Oh, oh, wait!" he waggles his brows at Keith, "How about a lip ring? Or snake bites!"

"Oh." Keith says, "Too bad they'd get in the way."

"Of what?"

There's a moment where Keith just stares at Lance blankly, then does the slowest and most sarcastic blink he can. "Are you serious? During a fight, of course! All it takes is one Galra soldier to rip a chunk of my face off." He reaches up to grab a tuft of hair from the unbraided side, lifting it up like it had tried to choke him, "I should be cutting this off soon! It's just another liability."

Lance appraises the hair, nodding thoughtfully. "Yeah, you're way past due for a haircut, buddy."

Keith just rolls his eyes. "I swear, if this is another mullet joke, I'm outta here." he says, standing up. He's already expecting as much from Lance.

But Lance surprises him again with what he says next.

"I could... cut it for you? If you want, I mean." Lance says.

It must be the confused look on Keith's face that causes Lance to starts babbling, a rosy blush dusting his cheeks.

"I cut my own hair, you know. Like, my mom used to cut it for me but then one day, she says ' _mijo_ , if you want to be a man you need to learn to cut your hair' so I started doing it myself. I kept messing up the back at first -- it's so hard to do the back, goddamn -- but I'm really good at it now. I trimmed Hunk's last week so I can totally do yours."

Keith bursts out laughing. "Is there anything you can't do, Lance?" he asks before devolving back into a giggling fit.

The blush darkens on Lance's face but he smiles, putting on his cocky airs. "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the Blue Paladin, Lance. I can do pretty much everything," he says, then adds a quick "and way better than you."

"Yeah, yeah." Keith wipes the tears from his eyes, the last chuckles subsiding, "I'll pass, for now."

A quiet settles around them that neither isn't sure how to break. Lance ends up being the first to speak. He rubs the back of his neck and looks down the corridor Hunk and left by, "I think I'm gonna go catch up with Hunk. Let me know if you change your mind about that haircut!"

Lance begins walking away and something stirs in Keith, something like panic. He finds himself standing up suddenly and blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Did your piercing hurt?" It's less like words and more like one string of syllables smashed together.

Lance stops and turns around, brow raised. "What was that?"

With those bright blues eyes on him, Keith's throat threatens to close. "Your piercing... I've been wondering if it hurt."

"Oh yeah. Fucking horrible." Lance says, returning to the couch.

Lance drops onto the couch heavily and it's like the cork keeping it all in had shot off. Before Keith has the chance to sit down, Lance is blabbing about his nipple. The conversation flows easily from there and Keith manages to ask the questions he'd been dying to know the answers for and then some.

It was the worst pain imaginable but he'd do it again to have the other one match.

The nipple wasn't Lance's first piercing but his ears had closed up before and he didn't bother to get them redone.

It gets sore sometimes, especially after training or a fight or even just sleeping on it wrong.

He cleans it every day with an Altean cleaning solution he asked Coran for.

It's fully healed

The only thing Keith doesn't ask before they head to dinner together is what made Lance pierce his nipple in the first place. He isn't sure if it's a strange thing to ask and expects the answer to be that he just wanted to, something simple and impulsive.

As they sit down and settle into conversations with the others, Keith can't help but wonder how it feels for Lance to have those pretty little gems under his shirt while he eats dinner with his fellow paladins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started the chapter, I didn't think it would end in hair-braiding. Then when I decided to go that route, I didn't have anything in mind but [this](http://www.hairstyleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2017-Side-braided-long-hairstyles-for-black-women.jpg) and [this](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/36/f3/2a/36f32ab8eb3363aa24cb1d95c7d8dc1e.jpg) are pretty close to what I imagined for Keith.

**Author's Note:**

> I just got mine pierced and couldn't help but imagine Lance would get his, too. Sorry, I can't title anything worth a damn. This is maybe 1/3? Who knows.
> 
> There's going to be more drabbles planned after this, all Klance for now because damned if those boys are perfect for each other.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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